BYU Announces 2011 Football Recruiting Class

PROVO -- BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall today announced the Cougars’ 2011 football recruiting class featuring 19 talented prospects. The class includes 12 defensive, six offensive and one special teams players.

"This class reflects a continuation of our existing recruiting philosophy, which has helped produce one of the most successful programs in the country,” Mendenhall said. “We recruit young men who are excellent football players, quality students and exceptional individuals. This class is passionate about coming to BYU, and we are excited to have them be part of BYU football.”

The 2011 class features 17 high school seniors and two junior college transfers.

Twelve high school recruits are first-team all-state honorees while two are second-team selections. The Cougars signed the most top-20 prospects from Utah, getting commitments from eight of the state’s top players.

Overall, the Cougars signed five defensive lineman, five linebackers and two defensive backs on the defensive side of the ball, while adding three offensive lineman, two tight ends and one quarterback on offense as well one kicker to special teams.

Thirteen recruits hail from Utah, including four from the two-time defending 5A state champion Bingham Miners, while four come from California and one each from Arizona and Oklahoma.

This year’s recruiting class will be augmented this fall with 14 former players or signees who are returning from missions for the 2011 season. BYU becomes an independent program in 2011 after achieving a 50-15 record over the last five seasons, including four bowl victories. Only eight teams have more wins over that span and only 11 teams have won bowl games four of the past five seasons.

Brief biographies and a complete list of BYU’s 2011 class as well as returning missionaries are included below.

5A All-State Second Team in 2010 by Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune ... Ranked No. 8 in the state and No. 37 among national defensive ends in the country by Rivals.com ... No. 27 Midlands prospect by SuperPrep Magazine ... ranked No. 49 defensive end by Scouts.com ... Region 3 DL MVP ... helped Bingham win the 5A state title in 2009 and 2010 and Region 3 championships all three years ... had 69 tackles and two sacks junior year ... older brother, Iona, played football for BYU in 2008 and returned from his mission this year ... also recruited by Oregon State ... coached by Dave Peck

2010 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year ... 2010 Deseret News Mr. Football ... 4A All-State First Team in 2010 by Salt Lake Tribune ... Deseret News 4A All-State First Team in 2009 ... owns nearly all state quarterback records, including total offense (12,917), passing yards (10,951), passing touchdowns (101), completions (751), and attempts (1,154) ... Region 5 MVP in 2009 and 2010 ... threw for 3,983 yards and 38 touchdowns as a senior ... started at quarterback as a freshman, completing his first 18 passes for 180 yards in the first high school game of his career ... led Mountain Crest to the 4A championship game in 2010 before losing by a point in double-overtime ... went to three-straight semifinal appearances the years before ... in 2010 state semifinal, set semifinal records by completing 34-of-55 passes for 444 yards and four touchdowns ... had a 33-8 record as a starting quarterback ... also lettered twice in basketball ... brother Jake played football at BYU and cousin Tyler Haws played basketball for the Cougars ... also recruited by Utah, Oregon, Stanford, Colorado and Utah State ... coached by Mark Wootton

2010, 2009 All-State First Team by Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune ... 2010, 2009 All-Region 9 First Team ... three-time All-Region First Team ... finished second all-time in state history with 170 PATs and third in state history with 19 career field goals ... kicked eight field goals and 57 PATs in 2010 with a touchback percentage of 96% ... converted 57 extra-point attempts and 6 field goals, including a long of 51 yards, in 2009 ... kicked 56 extra point attempts and 6 field goals in 2008 ... kicked six PATs or more in six games in 2010 ... scored 13 points, including a 48-yard field goal, in a win over Dixie in 2010 ... helped Hurricane to 3A state championship three-straight years ... Region 9 champions three-straight years ... kicked six PATs in two different games in the 2010 playoffs ... three-year letterwinner and pitcher on baseball team ... father and uncle played football at BYU ... grand-nephew of Hall of Fame BYU coach LaVell Edwards ... also recruited by Utah, Utah State, Stanford, Arizona, Missouri, Hawaii, Colorado and Cincinnati ... coached by Chris Homer

Led the Bulldogs with 72 tackles, 13 pass breakups and two interceptions in 2009 ... helped San Mateo win the Northern California championship and finish runners-up in the California Community College state championship ... also played at Foothill college with cousin and former BYU defensive back Brian Logan ... known for his combination of strength and speed, enabling him to play either cornerback or safety ... also recruited by Utah, Oregon, Oregon State and Arizona State ... coached by Bret Pollack

No. 71 Midlands prospect by SuperPrep Magazine ... helped team win state championships in 2008 and 2009 and was a member of team that advanced to the state quarterfinals in 2010 ... helped Timpview win region titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010 ... also won state basketball championship ... played in All-Valley all-star basketball game ... father is former BYU player and current coach Steve Kaufusi ... National Honors Society and four-year academic honoree ... also recruited by Stanford ... coached by Louis Wong

Ranked No. 71 by Scouts.com among offensive guards nationally ... Cal-Hi Sport's All-State Medium Schools Second Team in 2009 and 2010 ... helped Valley Center win the CIF San Diego Section Division IV championship in 2008 and play in the championship again in 2009 ... had 71 tackles, 12 sacks and two interceptions and two defensive touchdowns in 2010 ... brother Garrett also played football for the Cougars ... first-team All-Valley League in basketball ... also recruited by Air Force, San Diego State, Colorado State, Kansas, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State and Stanford ... coached by Rob Gilster

5A All-State First Team in 2010 by Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune ... ranked No. 6 recruit in the state and No. 33 among defensive ends in the nation by Rivals.com ... No. 37 Midlands prospect by SuperPrep Magazine ... helped Bingham win the 5A state title in 2009 and 2010 and Region 3 championships all three years ... in 2010, totaled 70 tackles and 10 sacks ... recorded 62 tackles and six sacks in 2009 ... displays good speed in pursuit and is a great wrap-up tackler ... coached by Dave Peck

5A All-State First Team in 2010 by Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune ... ranked No. 20 among state prospects by Rivals.com ... athletic on the line with good flexibility, balance and agility ... led team to region title and state semifinals in 2009 ... has good explosion off the snap with ability to knock defenders off the line ... son of former BYU defensive lineman Rob Lapuaho ... coached by Dustin Pearce

Named 5A All-State First Team in 2010 by Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune ... ranked No. 11 in the state and No. 49 nationally at defensive tackle by Rivals.com ... No. 39 Midlands prospect by SuperPrep Magazine ... helped Bingham win the 5A state title in 2009 and 2010 and Region 3 championships all three years ... three-year starter ... also played rugby for the nationally renowned Highland Rugby squad ... 2-time state champion wrestler ... also recruited by Utah, Utah State and Washington State ... coached by Dave Peck

4A All-State First Team in 2010 by Deseret News ... helped team advance to the state championship in 2009 and the state semifinals in 2010 ... helped Springville win two region titles in 2009 and 2010 ... 23 receptions, 378 yards and seven touchdowns in 2010 ... also garnered 41 tackles, four sacks and an interception on defense ... All-State Second Team in basketball ... honor roll student ... speaks Chinese ... also recruited by Utah, Utah State, Weber State and Southern Utah ... coached by Scott Mitchell

Ranked No. 16 among state prospects by Rivals.com ... ranked as the No. 8 fullback in the nation by Scout.com ... No. 31 Midlands prospect by SuperPrep Magazine ... 5A All-State First Team in 2010 by Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune ... Region 3 Defensive MVP ... selected to play in the U.S. Under-19 National Team ... helped Bingham win the 5A state title in 2009 and 2010 and Region 3 championships all three years ... had 85 tackles, including five sacks, his senior year ... three-year starter ... coached by Dave Peck

4A All-State First Team in 2010 ... totaled 50 tackles, six sacks and one interception in 2010 ... ranked No. 19 prospect in the state by Rivals.com ... ranked No. 28 nationally by Scout.com among tight end prospects ... No. 15 all-around athlete in the nation and No. 20 Midwest prospect by SuperPrep Magazine ... participated in the prestigious SPARQ competition at Nike headquarters ... helped team win state championships in 2008 and 2009 and the state quarterfinals in 2010 ... had 18 receptions for 300 yards and four touchdowns as a junior in 2009 ... helped Timpview win region titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010 ... brother, Austen, currently plays for BYU, as does a cousin, Spencer Hadley ... also started on 2010 state championship basketball team ... honor roll all four years ... also recruited by Notre Dame, UCLA and Utah State ... coached by Louis Wong

2010 Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State ... Tulsa World All-Metro selection ... Mustang Honor Award ... Oil Bowl selection ... Tulsa World All-State Second Team ... 4A3 Most Valuable OL ... registered 108 knockdowns in 2010 ... physical on the line, uses strength to bowl over defenders ... father and uncle also played for the Cougars on the offensive line ... also recruited by North Texas, Oklahoma State, Utah and Tulsa ... coached by Brandon Craig

Helped Snow College win the Top of the Mountains Bowl and conference championships both years ... had 65 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles in 2010, helping Snow to a No. 7 national ranking ... totaled 60 tackles, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and six passes defended as a redshirt freshman ... also recruited by Washington State, New Mexico State, Utah State and Kent State ... served an LDS mission to New York ... coached by Steve Coburn

Ranked top recruit in the state and No. 11 among offensive lineman nationally by Rivals.com ... ranked the top offensive lineman in the state and No. 43 offensive lineman by Scout.com ... played for the West squad in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl ... BYU Nike Camp MVP ... All-Poly Camp top offensive lineman ... also played defensive line and on the Caveman basketball team at center ... cited for his size, agility and strong football IQ ... also recruited by Utah, Kansas, Oregon, UCLA, Notre Dame and Arizona ... coached by Davis Knight and Aaron Behm